Regaining humanity
by Neb
Summary: Being assimilated by the Borg is the ultimate nightmare, the complete obliteration of one's individuality and free will... but how do you come to terms with that once you're severed from the collective? Rated for graphic imagery.
1. Chapter 1

Ensign Kerry Haldane strode purposefully down the gargantuan vessel's corridor, heading to her next assignment. The task would be simple, as were all tasks on board the ship. A simple medical procedure that fit her 'specialism' perfectly. As she arrived at the small chamber which contained her 'patient', she stared coldly at the young child strapped to the bed, then, using the special cauterising blade mounted onto her right arm, cleanly severed the screaming boy's arm above the elbow.

"Resistance is futile", Kerry thought. Kerry felt. Kerry, with what remained of her soul, truly _believed_. The child was clearly in pain, but pain was irrelevant. He was emotionally distressed, but emotions were irrelevant. His screaming parents were stood at the opposite end of the room to Kerry, screaming at her to stop the process of assimilation, but they were no threat to her, and therefore also irrelevant.

There was a time when Kerry would have been deeply concerned about the boy's suffering. But that time was also irrelevant. The only thing that was relevant was that she was Borg. And soon, the child would also be Borg. Kerry truly believed this, for she had no other choice. The collective believed this, therefore so did she.

An alarm sounded in Kerry's head. A Starfleet vessel, the U.S.S. Bangkok, NCC-74778, had just dropped out of high warp and begun firing on their sphere. The vessel was Intrepid-class- small with only moderate armaments. It posed no threat to her vessel. Kerry continued 'operating' on the boy, slicing open his torso and inserting various components necessary to complete the assimilation before his stay in the maturation chamber.

Another alarm sounded in Kerry's head. Three armed Starfleet officers had beamed onto the sphere less than fifty metres from her location. However, her task took more importance. As she sensed them near her location she projected a forcefield to protect her body from the humans' weapons. She sensed one of the humans aim a weapon at her that neither she nor the trillions of minds passing through her head recognised. Unconcerned for her safety, for she was but one drone amongst many, Kerry turned around to face her attackers, then felt a wave pass through her as the unusual rifle was fired. Immediately, Kerry became aware of the silence. The entire voice of the collective had fallen silent, as though a loud explosion had gone off behind her ears, deafening her. Unable to cope with the sudden silence, her implants began juddering to a halt, and her spasming body collapsed to the deck.

--

Lieutenant John Mitchell looked down at the drone lying motionless at his feet. Beneath the armour plating grafted directly onto her flesh, beneath the implants disfiguring her face, and beneath the cold, dead grey skin, mottled with blue and black features, John could instantly tell that the drone used to be a human woman. And likely a young one too. Hell, she could even have been a Starfleet officer. Fighting back the urge to retch at the smell of the drone's, of all the drones' mutilated, rotting flesh, John hastily slapped a transceiver onto the drone's torso and tapped his combadge.

"Mitchell to Fossett," he said hurriedly, "four to beam directly to sickbay." John breathed a sigh of relief as the USS Fossett's transporter beam engulfed him, and within seconds, he and his team found themselves safely back on their ship- which, he knew instinctively, would already be warping away from the scene, the Sphere too preoccupied with the assimilation to follow. He lowered his weapon as the ship's CMO strode over to the drone and began scanning her.

"The interplexing beacon has completely shut down," Doctor Russell confirmed. "She is neither receiving nor transmitting orders to the collective. Looks like you're going to get that promotion after all, John." John smiled as he stared at the weapon in his hand, which could be his ticket to fame and fortune, but more importantly, the key to stopping the Borg once and for all...

--

Kerry became aware of voices as she slowly returned to consciousness, but they were not in her head- they were in her ear.

"Her immune system is reasserting itself much faster than anticipated," one voice, a man, said. "We have suppressed it as far as we can and provided the implants with the necessary energy, but we will need to begin the transplants as soon as possible. She's stable for now but I'd really like to transplant her new heart and lungs as soon as possible, along with the new veins and arteries we've had cloned. Her digestive system can wait until her heart and lungs have been accepted and we've had the chance to remove more of the implants."

"Good, good," another man, slightly younger from the tone of his voice, said. "How about her endocrine system? And her arms?"

"That will take considerably longer," the first man answered. "Her endocrine and nervous systems are already recovering by way of accelerated stem cell therapy, but her arms will not be ready for another week."

_Are they talking about us?_ Kerry thought to herself as her vision, enhanced by the implant drilled through her left eye, began to come back into focus. _Wait a minute, us? Why am I saying 'us' when there's only one of us... me here? They said Borg... we are Borg? I am Borg? Am I?_ Suddenly, flashes of images, of happier, more colourful times, flashed before Kerry's eyes. Memories and emotions she hadn't felt for a long time all hit her at once, and had she had lungs, she would have found herself gasping for air. _Kerry Haldane,_ she remembered. _My name is Kerry Haldane... not Four of Eleven. I'm human. I'm a Starfleet officer... Oh God!_ Flashes of less happy times flashed before Kerry's eyes. The unmistakable sight of a Borg Sphere appearing at her viewscreen. The feel of a cold, vice-like grip on her shoulder and plastic tubules puncturing her carotid artery... and the feeling of her mind slowly slipping away, being subjugated by trillions of voices all telling her one thing- that resistance was futile. And it was. But the most sickening thought entering Kerry's mind was that she _let_ it happen. She had fought them, but she hadn't been nearly strong enough. And over a very short space of time, she came to truly believe that she was Borg. That what she was doing, all the atrocities she had committed, were in a just cause.

"No," Kerry said quietly to herself as she surveyed her mutilated body. She stared in horror at the mechanical stump that sat where her right forearm once was, and at the silver square of disinfectant material covering her left shoulder, her left arm completely missing. Her mind numb, Kerry slowly leaned her head forward and stared into the gaping hole in her abdomen. Inside the black, black cavity she saw no intestines, but instead two power generators, either side of a long, black pipe that Kerry instantly knew was her spinal column. Closing her organic eye as tightly as she could, Kerry leaned back on the bed and screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed, and was only stopped when she felt a hypospray hiss into her neck, and her world was once again consumed by the blissful darkness of sleep.

--

Doctor Callum Russell sighed and wiped his brow, placing his surgical gown, gloves and hat into the replicator, where they were quickly reduced to their component atoms, ready to be formed into something else entirely. Sighing away the stress of the four-hour operation, he stared over at his patient, amazed at the transformation that had occurred. Modern medical techniques had enabled him to remove even the most stubborn of the woman's implants, and she laid there now, 100 human, breathing through artificially-created lungs. The only indication anything had ever happened to her were the absence of her left arm, and the fact her head still was devoid of hair. A night with electrical stimulators on her scalp should solve the latter problem- but her arm still won't be prepared for another week. Returning to his desk, Callum looked up to see Tony Shepherd, the ship's counsellor, enter the room.

"How's our drone?" Tony asked dryly as he sat down opposite Callum, the doctor still wondering how a man with his sense of humour found work as a therapist.

"Recovering," Callum answered. "The genetic excitation therapy worked perfectly, I got all the Borg shit out without significant damage to the surrounding human parts, even the brain. It'll take her a while to adapt to her new body parts but she'll be fine in the long run."

"Even with one arm?" Tony quipped.

"That's just temporary, it'll be attached by this time next week. I've done my part Tony, now you have a lot of work ahead of you. Have you ever worked with ex-drones before?"

"Not extensively," Tony answered seriously. "I've read profiles, but never had a sit-down talk with one. What do we know of this girl anyway?"

"Ensign Kerry Haldane," Callum read aloud from his PADD. "23 years old from Liverpool, graduated from Starfleet Academy two years ago, majoring in astronavigation. Assigned as helm officer on USS Reed, lost 14 weeks ago whilst on patrol along the Breen border. Missing, presumed dead- now we know the truth of what happened. Away from her post she was the only child of two Starfleet officers, and in her youth was talented at ballet, horse riding, played the cello and flute and sang in her school orchestra."

"Do you have a full profile on her likes and dislikes? Being around familiar surroundings will help along the rehabilitation process," Tony asked. "Though obviously the cello thing and the flute thing will have to wait a while. As will the horse riding."

"I don't want to bring her round just yet," Callum stated as the two men headed toward the exit of the sickbay. "Come back tomorrow, after I've had a chance to grow her hair, she should be strong enough then."

"Right," Tony said, before smirking. "Still on for dinner tonight?"

"Not even a Borg Sphere will drag me away," Callum said with a smirk of his own, giving the counsellor, his lover, a brief kiss on the lips as he left. Smiling, Callum returned to his desk and began to type his report of the operation. The entire mission had been a success- from the Lieutenant's frequency dampening weapon, to the new transphasic torpedoes crippling the sphere in one shot, to Callum's own genetic excitation therapy, providing healing at a much faster and more efficient rate than any tool in his sickbay. Starfleet Command would undoubtedly reward the entire crew of the Bangkok for their success of the mission. But whilst Callum was typing his report and mentally calculating which officers would receive which reward, there was one person he neglected to include in his list- the young woman recovering on the bio-bed...

--

Kerry took a deep breath through her nose, and marvelled at just how peculiar it sounded, as though she hadn't heard the sound of her own breath in months. She ran her right hand over her face and through her long blonde hair, wondering why her whole body felt sore, yet at the same time tingly, as though she had pins and needles all throughout. Kerry tried to lift her left arm to scratch her ear, but was moderately surprised when the limb refused to move.

"Must've fallen asleep on it again," Kerry muttered to herself as she reached over to feel for her left arm. When she couldn't locate it, she began to worry somewhat.

"Huh?" She mumbled as she groggily opened her eyes and stared down at the silver disinfectant patch covering her left shoulder. Suddenly, images flashed before her eyes, horrifying images of Borg drones staring at her, drilling holes in her chest, or her slicing open cowering, defenceless aliens. Images of the tubes that were once her intestines being pulled out of her abdomen and inserted into her neck, of her arm being severed cleanly and replaced with a cutting tool of her own, and of a microscopic drill puncturing her eyeball, drilling through her retina and not stopping until it reached the back of her optic nerve...

"NO!" Kerry screamed loudly, clutching her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth in a state of pure, unadulterated panic. When she felt a hand touch her shoulder, she screamed, jumping out of bed and running toward the sickbay door as fast as she could...

--

"Computer, lock sickbay doors," Doctor Russell ordered, wincing as he heard the inevitable 'thud' of Kerry running headlong into the door, followed by another inevitable 'thud' of Kerry falling backward onto the sickbay floor, dazed and, much to Callum's relief, no longer screaming. Taking his opportunity, Callum ran over to where Kerry lay slumped on the floor and picked the young woman up, sitting her on the nearest bio-bed.

"Listen to me," Callum said firmly but patiently. "You've been through an incredible ordeal, both mentally and physically, but you're safe now. You're on the USS Bangkok, a Starfleet vessel. We're heading back to the heart of the Federation. Everyone on this ship is just trying to help you, Kerry. Can you understand what I'm telling you?" Kerry nodded quickly, desperately trying to prevent herself from panicking again. "My name's Callum, Doctor Callum Russell. Can you tell me your full name?" Kerry felt slightly patronized by the intimation that she couldn't remember her own name, but understood that she needed to cooperate with the Doctor.

"Kerry," she whispered quietly, "Kerry Haldane."

"Can you tell me your rank and serial number?" Kerry looked vacant for a few moments. The day she'd joined Starfleet had been one of the happiest days of her life, but now merely being on a Starfleet vessel, despite the Doctor's reassurances, was sending a chill through her body.

"They stopped being..." Kerry paused, catching her tongue before saying the word 'relevant'. "..._Important_ a long time ago."

"You're still on the books as a Starfleet officer," Doctor Russell informed her. "What you've been through the past few months doesn't change that one fact, and I'm sure there are captains in the fleet who'd want a good officer like you as their conn." Kerry thought briefly of her parents, both Commanders serving on ships of the line, and how they must have felt when the news of the _Reed_'s destruction had reached them. Surely they'd want her to continue in the service, but after all she'd seen, all she'd _done_, how could she serve with a clear conscience?

"Maybe there are," Kerry mumbled, "but I'm through with Starfleet. I'd be happy never to set foot on a starship ever again."

"Luckily for you, you don't have to make that decision right now," Callum replied. "I'm placing you on indefinite medical leave. Take some time out, go home; I'm sure there are some places on Earth you haven't visited. I hear Brazil's lovely this time of year."

"I'll keep it in mind," Kerry mumbled, again staring at her missing arm- or rather, where it should have been.

"And don't worry, we're growing a new one of those right now," Callum said, smiling. "Should have it attached next week."

"Great," Kerry sarcastically grunted. "Doctor Russell, could you do me a favour please?"

"Sure," Callum said, "just name it."

"When you contact my parents," Kerry said shakily, "don't tell them I was- I was-" As hard as she tried, she couldn't force the word 'assimilated' past her lips, or even past her _brain_ without wanting to break down in floods of tears.

"We've already sent them a message saying your ship was destroyed and your escape pod crash-landed on a nearby planet, where you heroically survived alone for three months with only native flora and fauna to sustain you," Callum explained. "They think you're the second coming of Tarzan!" For the first time in over a quarter of a year, Kerry smiled- and Callum was struck by how beautiful a sight it was.

"Thanks," Kerry whispered, again fighting to hold back the tears.

"We'll be at Earth in less than six days," Callum explained. "I've arranged for you to meet with the ship's counsellor for a few sessions, but in the meantime, if you want anything to read or watch, the ship's library database is at your disposal- I've had a full access login created for you."

"Thanks again," Kerry said, as Callum handed her a customised one-handed PADD that she began scrolling down, barely paying attention to the articles as she wondered just how the hell she was meant to rebuild her life, when it had been so utterly and ruthlessly devastated...


	2. Chapter 2

Ensign Kerry Haldane stared out of the transparent aluminium window at the bright blue orb she called home. It had been eight months since she'd last been to Earth, shortly before her assignment on the USS Reed, and a lot had changed in those eight months. _She_ had changed, and not for the better. Yawning, Kerry laid down on her bed and closed her eyes, preparing to sleep but knowing that such an attempt would be... futile...

The first sensation that shook her was the sheer stench, like a mixture of rotting flesh and chlorine. Kerry gagged, trying to keep the smell out of her nose and mouth, but to no avail. The young woman looked up into the cold, lifeless faces of three Borg drones, each one staring at her through dark, artificial eyes. Kerry didn't panic, though- she knew she was with friends. She let the drones escort her to a table, where she willingly strapped her limbs down and watched as the laser saw descended from the ceiling and activated, cutting through her shirt, her skin, her abdominal muscles...

Kerry awoke screaming, clutching her head with her hands and screaming so loud within seconds she had doubled up in a coughing fit, rolling out of her bed and landing with a soft thump on the deck plate. Taking several deep breaths, Kerry looked up at the chronometer on the computer display.

_03:34_, the display read. She had been asleep for precisely 13 minutes. Sighing, Kerry shuffled over to her replicator.

"Hot coffee, black, triple sweet," she croaked in her light Liverpudlian accent, wincing at the sound of her own voice. She'd once been a soprano in her school's choir, but if her nightmares continued the way they were going, she'd be lucky if she had any vocals chords left within a week. Sipping at her beverage, she lowered herself into her sofa and activated her datapanel, looking for some broadcast from Earth to take her mind off of things. Kerry instructed the computer to choose her a channel at random, and winced at the machine's choice.

"Ridley Scott's _Alien_," Kerry moaned, "computer, your sense of humour sucks. Access the Bangkok's databanks, play me a comedy movie instead. Something 22nd century." The computer complied, and Kerry snuggled into her sofa with her drink, smiling and giggling at the film, and desperately trying not to fall asleep.

"Tell me about your parents," Counsellor Tony Shepherd asked Kerry, who was swinging back and forth on his old rocking chair, staring at the ceiling lights.

"My father's Canadian, my mother's a Scouser," Kerry explained. "Both of them are 47, in Starfleet, and both hold the rank of Commander. My dad was a security officer on the Enterprise-D for four years before transferring to the Lexington, where he made security chief and eventually first officer. My mum was an engineer on the Enterprise for two years before moving back to Earth when I was six. She was made one of the head engineers at Liverpool spaceport, and when I joined the Academy, she transferred to be with my dad on the Lexington. How is any of this relevant?"

"Do you feel that you were pressured into joining the academy by your parents?" Tony asked, ignored Kerry's question.

"Not really," Kerry replied, staring over at Tony's uniform then down at her plain black t-shirt. "I was always told growing up I had the choice to go into whatever career interested me most, but living for several years on a starship- especially one like the Enterprise- there was only really one choice."

"Do you regret joining Starfleet?" Tony asked, wincing as the sentence left his mouth.

"Yes," Kerry said with a particular emphasis to her voice. "I had some good times at the academy and on the Reed, but-"

"I want to hear about one of those times, one at the academy," Tony said, quickly interrupting the young woman. Kerry took a deep breath, and sighed.

"I'd just finished my sophomore year," she explained. "Me and a few friends had booked five days in a posh hotel in Tycho City. Five of the best days of my life."

"Where are those friends now?" Tony asked.

"Three of the six of them were aboard the Reed," Kerry stated bluntly. "The other three... I don't know. We'd all graduated, we drifted apart pretty quickly." Sensing his counselling session crumbling around his ears, Tony took a different direction with his questioning.

"Have you decided where you're going on vacation?" Tony enquired.

"I'm gonna check out some of Earth's historical landmarks," Kerry replied. "Some of the ancient English cathedrals like Winchester and Lincoln, then the Sistine Chapel. I might even visit the Pyramids."

"Any particular reason you're visiting particularly old landmarks?" Tony asked, hoping for another lead to Kerry's mental state.

"Just a reminder that life goes on, I suppose," Kerry sighed. "They're still standing after god knows how many wars and invasion attempts, I guess it's just reassuring that some things never change. That must sound kinda silly."

"Not at all," Tony reassured the young woman. "I'm happy you're making some plans for your future, at least, even if it is only your immediate future. I'd like you to keep a log of your feelings whilst you're on vacation- nothing too formal, just a few notes on your experiences, and I'd like to read it before our next session next week."

"Okay," Kerry said, nodding. "Are we done for today?"

"We're done," Tony said, putting his PADD down and standing up to escort Kerry out of his office. "Have fun on Earth!"

"I'll try," Kerry said, forcing a smile.

What struck Kerry most about Earth, after having had the opportunity to experience it for two weeks, wasn't the beauty of the planet, but its fragility. Visiting the ruins of Havana and Fort Lauderdale only hammered home the message- there are people out there- not just aliens, but some humans as well- who see Earth as a bullseye, as a prize to be claimed. The Borg were simply more overt than other races in their desire to conquer the home of the humans. As she stared out over Sydney Harbour, Kerry shuddered to think what would have happened had the Borg been successful in either of their attempts to assimilate Earth, or if the Dominion had successfully conquered the world, or if any other of the many invasion attempts over the centuries had succeeded.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kerry heard an Australian woman's voice ask from behind her. Kerry smirked, and without turning round to face her questioner, responded.

"I'm just thanking the stars for the Xindi," the young ensign replied. "Never thought I'd ever be doing that."

"Why the Xindi?" The mysterious woman persisted with her questions.

"For showing us we need an armada in space," Kerry replied. "For showing us we need to defend ourselves, because if Earth falls, we're all fucked."

"'We' being the human race?" The still-unidentified voice persisted.

"Yeah," Kerry replied as she breathed in more of the sea air. "It's in the nature of every humanoid race to be pissed off that other races even _exist_, especially if their ideology clashes with their own. Hell, most races can't even get along with other members of their own species, humanity included. The Federation won't last, it simply can't. It's just a question of whether or not every species in the galaxy will bomb each other out of existence before we finally realise how pointless existing like this is and all go home trying to evolve into glowing blobs of light for the next billion years."

"That's an awfully cynical attitude for someone as young as you," the woman remarked, taken aback by Kerry's bluntness. "The Federation has endured for over 230 years, why should that end now?"

"Because there are people out there, trillions upon trillions of people, who simply don't like us," Kerry stated matter-of-factly. "Did you not hear what I said? Entire species for whom space isn't a wonderful 'undiscovered country', it's a prize. A bullseye. They see other sentient lifeforms and think 'how can I exploit and use these people?'. Don't believe me? Ask the Bajorans."

"So what should we do about it?" The woman persisted, refusing to leave Kerry to her thoughts.

"How the fuck should I know?" The blonde-haired girl replied. "I'm just one person. One human out of 35 billion. No one'd give a shit about me even if I did tell them something was wrong."

"I'm listening," the woman replied. "You're so willing to diagnose the problem yet you don't want to give a cure. Are we as humanoid species so beyond hope?"

"The only solution I can see is for everyone to realise that yes, fundamentally we are all the same," Kerry answered, trying to vocalise her thoughts. "But can you imagine a Romulan sitting down to a meal with a Klingon? Or a Cardassian and a Bajoran sharing a drink? Or the Borg co-operating with _anyone_? It simply won't happen. The Vulcans believe in infinite diversity in infinite combinations. They're supposed to be logical, and yet they can't see this diversity is going to wind up destroying them all or turning them into drones."

"Well I for one have always found that particular Vulcan saying to be massively hypocritical," the voice continued, "given how intolerant they are of other species at times." Having run out of things to say, Kerry sighed and turned to face her interrogator, a proud, upright human woman wearing a Starfleet Lieutenant Commander's uniform, security division.

"Who are you?" Kerry asked the mysterious woman.

"Is that anyway to address a superior officer, _Ensign_ Haldane?" The Starfleet woman retorted.

"If I feel the way I do about the Federation," Kerry snapped back, "you can imagine how I feel about Starfleet. And my name's Kerry, not 'Ensign Haldane'."

"Fair enough," the Lieutenant Commander said, backing down. "Though as Starfleet is paying for your medical and psychiatric bills, you could be a little more forgiving. And my name's Anne, Lieutenant Commander Anne Craig."

"You from around these parts?" Kerry asked. "Because you seem to know an awful lot about me for someone who no doubt was supposed to have run into me at random whilst visiting home."

"Let's just say Starfleet treated me to a working holiday," Anne replied, leaning on the railing next to Kerry. "Our- I'm sorry, _my_ superiors felt it would be best if you didn't suddenly start talking about your recent _experiences_."

"Given that I don't even want to _think_ about my recent experiences," Kerry retorted, "the Admirals can sleep soundly in their beds tonight."

"I thought as much," Anne stated, nodding. "And to answer your original question, no, I'm originally from Brisbane."

"Given I only arrived in Australia this morning," Kerry enquired, "Starfleet intelligence must be keeping a pretty close eye on me. I should be flattered, I suppose- but I'm not."

"You don't know the half of it," Anne replied stoically. "Walk with me." Nodding, Kerry strolled alongside the uniformed woman.

"Starfleet really doesn't have to worry about me accidentally losing control of my mouth," Kerry stated bluntly. "I'm putting those times behind me as far as they'll go."

"Are you still not sleeping?" Anne asked the young woman.

"Let's just say my hypospray's seen a lot of use these past few nights," Kerry replied quietly.

"How much of it _do_ you remember, anyway?" Anne probed further, causing Kerry to stop dead in her tracks, her face turning pale.

"All of it," she whispered. "Every waking second."

"Interesting," Anne said with a smile. Suddenly, before Kerry could compose herself, she felt the lieutenant commander grab her from behind and jab a hypospray straight into her spine. Within seconds, she was unconscious...


	3. Chapter 3

Kerry awoke in an unfamiliar room, her head ans spine still tingling from the effects of the hypospray.

"Ah, you're awake," Commander Craig addressed the young woman. "I hope you're comfortable, we have a lot of work ahead of us."

"Where am I?" Kerry asked, trying to focus her severely blurred vision.

"Huygens City," the Starfleet officer replied. "I wanted somewhere where we could continue our conversation in private."

"And the closest place you could think of was Titan?" Kerry retorted as her vision finally came into focus and she saw the Commander standing there next to two other Starfleet officers. What confused Kerry, however, was that those two officers' undershirts- signifying their division with Starfleet- were jet black.

"No doubt you're disorientated," Commander Craig continued. "That's unfortunate as we need you lucid for the next stage of the plan, but I guess we'll just have to work around it for now."

"What plan?" Kerry asked, her level of panic and anger rising as she steadied herself to rise from her biobed. "Who are yo-"

Kerry's sentence was cut short as she was thrown back onto the bed by a the familiar sting of a restraining field. Reaching out all around her, Kerry quickly deduced that the field surrounded the entire bed. She was trapped.

"We operate under article 14, section 31 of the Starfleet charter," the Australian commander explained. "In times of great threat to the Federation, we are required to take certain measures to ensure the safety of its citizens."

"What great threat are you referring to?" Kerry enquired, before a look of realisation washed over her face. "Oh."

"Yeah," Commander Craig continued. "Your recent experiences have brought you to our attention. You have the potential within you to serve the Federation in ways you never dreamed were possible."

"Why, just because I had nanoprobes dumped into my ass on a daily basis for the last few months?" Kerry spitefully retorted.

"Believe it or not," Commander Craig stated in a calm voice, "I know what you're going through."

"How could you possibly know what I'm going through?" Kerry asked incredulously.

"Because I was on the Enterprise during the battle of sector 001," the Australian woman confessed. "all three of us were." Anne pulled a chair up to Kerry and sat down, preparing to tell the young Englishwoman her story.

"We were some of the last to be assimilated," Commander Craig explained. "After Captain Picard destroyed the deflector dish, the Borg began rampaging through the ship. I was stationed on deck 7 when it was overran. We got a proximity alert and just fifteen seconds later, I was captured, my carotid artery punctured and filled with nanoprobes. Within two minutes I had lost control of my body, my mind... I was taken to the main shuttlebay to be operated on further. Just twenty minutes after my assimilation, everything went dark. The drones that were operating on me spasmed and died, and my implants all simultaneously failed, and began to be rejected by my organic systems. I was stuck there for over two hours with their operating tools spinning in place inside my body before I was finally rescued. But those two hours were enough to convince me."

"Convince you of what?" Kerry asked unsympathetically.

"To convince me that the Borg need to be exterminated by any means necessary," Anne replied.

"You're kind of preaching to the choir here," Kerry stated with a sigh.

"I figured as much," Anne continued, "but I couldn't simply state my intentions to you out in the open then let you walk away if you rejected our offer."

"Cut to the chase," Kerry spat impatiently. "What exactly is it you're offering?"

"The chance to destroy the Borg once and for all," Anne stated boldly. "That weapon that switched off your connection to the collective? We've got our hands on a prototype, and we reckon if we connect it to a Borg cube's primary beacon-"

"-You can deactivate every drone on that ship simultaneously, before they have a chance to adapt _or_ transmit anything to the collective," Kerry realised.

"Precisely," Anne stated with a smile. "We get our hands on a cube- or even a sphere will do- fly it into the unicomplex and set off a beacon there. It'll dissipate down through every beacon in every drone in the galaxy, and _poof_, no more collective."

"Using the Borg's own inter-connectivity against them," Kerry mused. "It's ambitious and might just work, but why do you need me?" Kerry's eyes widened as she realised what lay ahead of her. "No. Absolutely not!" Kerry struggled and thrashed against the restraining field, but in vain.

"The unique feature about this weapon," Anne calmly informed the panicking young woman, "is that whilst it disconnects a drone from the collective, the collective as a whole doesn't realise that the drone is gone. So you can just slip back aboard a Borg vessel- provided you're broadcasting the correct frequency, of course- and set off the beacon. No drone will question your presence on the ship, they won't even notice you. The thing is, Kerry, you're the only person in the entire galaxy with this opportunity."

"Find someone else," Kerry panted, worn out from her futile struggle against the restraining field.

"On average, Starfleet loses one starship each month in unknown circumstances," Anne stated coldly. "Some say it's due to spatial or temporal distortions, or unexpected equipment malfunctions, but we all know that it's due to the Borg. They rampage through our space taking whatever they damn well please, and all we can do is pray that we don't run into them. Fortunately for us, the galaxy is big, but it's getting smaller every day. Soon we'll have the entire collective breathing down our necks. The window of opportunity is almost closed Kerry- we need you to slip through it."

Kerry closed her eyes and contemplated all that she'd been through. All the friends she had lost on board the Reed, all the months she had lost, the violation of her mind, body and soul. She thought of the countless trillions across the galaxy who had endured for years what she had endured for only a few months, and how she had a chance to put an end to it once and for all. If she succeeded, she be a hero to virtually the entire galaxy. Kerry closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"What do you want from me?" She asked.


End file.
